Dear Babe: We have several baseball cards of the St. Louis Cardinals from around 1954. -- Phyllis Allen Lawrenceville, Ga.
Based on the list of numbers you sent, it appears the cards are from a variety of years in the early 1950s. Most are commons that Beckett's Almanac of Baseball Cards and The Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards from the editors of Sports Collectors Digest list in the $10-$20, for cards in top shape.
The cards of the three Hall of Famers are the exceptions. Stan Musial's 1952 Bowman card lists for $335-$500. Red Schoendienst's 1952 Topps card books at $135-$150, while Enos Slaughter's 1951 Bowman card books at $50-$60. Eddie Kazak's 1952 Topps card books at $20-$45, while the 1953 Topps card of Ed Yuhas lists for $30-$45. Those are values for "near-mint'' cards.
Dear Babe: I have a program from the last Winnipeg Jets game in 1996. It's in pristine condition. -- Derek Oleschak. Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
So is it from the last regular season game when Keith Tkachuk notched his 50th goal as the Jets beat the L.A. Kings? Or is it from the Game 6 playoff first round loss to the Red Wings that ended that series and the Jets stay in Canada? Either game was probably a major event for the folks in Winnipeg, but it probably isn't going to register on the collector scale. Working against the value is the fact that it is from hockey and it's too new. I am sure this is definitely a regional item. I checked with Phil Regli, owner of P&R Publications in Irvine, Calif. and a long-time magazine and program dealer. He agreed with me, saying the program has little value unless it was also a big-time player's last game. In the big picture it is worth around $5-$10. Tkachuk joining the 50-goal scorers' club might add a little if it's from that game. As I said, it might fetch more regionally if you can find someone who collects Jets or Winnipeg sports memorabilia.
Dear Babe: My husband has a large, framed picture that shows Joe Torre with stats of the 1982 "Miracle Braves.'' Supposedly there are only two of them. It is hand-drawn with colored pencils. It is signed "Davis 1982.'' -- Vicki Mathews, Hapeville, Ga.
"The poster is one of the many works of Jack Davis, who attended the University of Georgia in the early 1950s and has been a leading American illustrator for nearly half a century,'' said Dean Zindler of Zindler's Sports Collectibles in Norcross, Ga. "The poster is worth $20, but an original would be worth 10 times this amount. Although Atlanta won the N.L. West, the Braves were beaten in three straight by the St Louis Cardinals in the NLCS.''
Mike Heffner, president of www.lelands.com auction house in South Dennis, Mass., was on the same page as Zindler, valuing a print at $25, but noting an original drawing by a noted artist would be worth much more.
BABE NOTE: After a little longer wait than expected, 2009 Topps UFC is on out, featuring on average two autographed cards and two relic cards per hobby box. The 150 base card-set features 100 stars, 40 fighters seen for the first time on a Topps card and 10 personalities. There are four full parallels of the base set (16 per box): Gold (1 per pack), Onyx (numbered to 188), Ruby (numbered to 8) and Diamond (1 of 1). Inserts include Photo Finish (25 cards), Octagon of Honor (10), Greats of the Game (15) and Bloodlines (25) -- all paralleled in Onyx, Ruby or Diamond. The product also has autographed cards of fighters from The Ultimate Fighter Season 9 and 10. Eight-card packs are $4. For more information, visit www.topps.com/ufc.
(Send card questions to Babe Waxpak, PO Box 492397, Redding, CA 96049-2397 or e-mail babewaxpak(at)charter.net. If possible, include card number, year and brand or a photocopy. Please do not send cards. For Babe Waxpak's blog, see www.scrippsnews.com/waxpak. Babe Waxpak is a feature of The Record Searchlight in Redding, Calif.)
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.scrippsnews.com)
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